Another ‘Miami Vice’ Reboot Reportedly in the Works at Universal

It was only eight years ago that Michael Mann released his ‘Miami Vice’ film, offering a grittier update on his classic ‘80s television series, but Universal is reportedly already looking to reboot the franchise again with yet another feature film. Why make something new and original when you can try to capitalize on an existing franchise and fan base by rebooting and updating beloved characters over and over and over again?

According to Latino Review, Universal is rumored to be working on another potential ‘Miami Vice’ reboot which would once again recast the leading roles. Mann’s 2006 film wasn’t a huge success, bringing in $163.8 million worldwide while the film itself cost $135 million in production and marketing. Rumor has it Universal is already approaching screenwriters for new pitches and ideas to help them reboot the story, potentially leading to the creation of a new, much more viable and successful franchise.

The 2006 film starred Colin Farrell and Jamie Foxx and was based on the classic ‘80s series, which was produced by Mann. The original series ran from 1984 to 1989 and starred Don Johnson as James “Sonny” Crockett and Philip Michael Thomas as Ricardo “Rico” Stubbs, two Miami police officers who work undercover. And although Mann produced the series, he ensured that his 2006 film hardly resembled the look and tone of its predecessor.

It’s unclear what sort of film Universal is aiming for here—they could go the comedy route like ‘21 Jump Street,’ ‘Starsky and Hutch,’ and the upcoming ‘CHiPS’ reboot, or they could go for something similar to what Mann did with his film update, making the project darker and edgier. It seems as though the former route would be more viable, given our contemporary affection for comedic reboots of franchise classics.

What do you guys think? Are you ready for a new ‘Miami Vice’ movie? Or are you even interested in seeing this story reimagined on the big screen again?